Its a catch 22 though J1H. We've tried the isolationist route as a nation and it has come to bite us in the ass. Something that frustrates me as a vet of Desert Storm is they didn't just let us clean house back then. Unfortunately all The Arab Nations wanted us to do was get Saddam out of Kuwait I don't know if that would have solved the issue back then, but it would have at least put them on notice not to frak with us as a nation. One thing that makes me feel guilty as hell is knowing that today's generation is trying to clean up our mess. So every year when the anniversary hits it feels me with a mixed bag of emotions.

I was on the freeway heading to the hospital to pick up my wife and our five day old son who just got out of the nicu when I heard the news. This is the world my son came home to. Rough start for him but now he's 11 and in middle school and life has gotten better and better for him and our country every year on many levels. God bless us all.

I was on my way to Montclair State University. I would usually listen to music of some sort on the way to school, but that day I happen to decide to listen to Howard Stern, who was still on KRock at the time. At first, I couldn't tell if he was kidding....but as the stories came in, it was too elaborate to be a joke. I was on 80 East, heading towards the city. At one of the higher points, I could see the smoke. When I got to school, the parking lots were just about empty, so I turned around and went home and watched the news all day.

It was really stressful until I got ahold of my family members who are frequent flyers. Everyone was alright though.

Not a day I'll forget

_________________BURNINGS of all Superpowers memorabilia should occur nightly in a neighborhood near your.

Wow talk about late to the party! I was 23, working retail at K-Mart. I recall waking up late and I missed the bus so I had to walk to work. Not a long trek, more like a twenty walk at best. The bus was just easier. By the time I made it to the store, the second plane had hit the last tower. They hadn't fallen yet. I was a manager on call so I let the store watch back in electronics as long as they looked like they were doing something.

My half-brother was INS based out of the Philly airport. Trying to get through to him was a pain but eventually I did. The whole situation was grim and no one knew a damn thing. Panic was in the air as parents were calling to tell us their child would not be in work tonight and some people wanted to leave earlier. So later that night as my shift came to an end, my other friend who knew the local paramedics were saying New York was requesting aid from as far as Jersey. Being that we were only an hour and half from the city, a couple guys were heading up. So we jumped truck with them. It was a day of patriotism; it didn't matter what color, sex, race or whatever you were. If you were an American Citizen; once again didn't matter if you were sworn in or born here... you were in this club that day. We didn't get far. We helped with aid just on the edge of the city. It was duty and so dark. First time I ever helped anyone with an oxygen mask. We didn't see bodies or wreckage or anything. Nothing exciting to share in that regard.

Believe it or not the memories really are fading for such an impacting day.

I remember feeling afraid. Long after the event, when American citizens were buying stock in duct tape and plywood. All I could think of was some crazed individual walking into the heart of Manhattan with a suitcase full of something which would make Banner's G-Bomb look like a toy. (sorry, thought we could use some comic levity) It was hard to overcome such fears of the unknown. Fears of the draft would get to me. I didn't want to go away. After a while when it was looking like we were over there for much different reasons I didn't want to go.

I never had to go to war or be part of the military. For that I thank and love the ones who are there and have gone so that I don't have to and that perhaps one day neither will my kids or their kids or anyone's kids for that matter.